g216 nCyn d 1

nCyn d 1 from Bermuda grass

(Cynodon dactylon)

Clinical Utility
Cyn d 1 belongs to Group 1 grass pollen allergens which
are the most frequently recognized grass pollen allergens.
This allergen group is unique to the grass family and
no cross-reactive allergens in pollen of other plants are
known. Some diversity exists among members of the
Group 1 grass pollen allergens of different subfamilies
of grasses, making Cyn d 1 from Bermuda grass at least
partly immuno-logically distinct from Phl p 1 from timothy
grass. Thus, Cyn d 1 is specifically suited as a marker of
Bermuda grass pollen sensitization (1, 2).

Allergen Description
Bermuda grass is found in warm climates all over the world
and its pollen contains at least 12 IgE-binding proteins (3, 4).
Cyn d 1 is a major Bermuda grass allergen and is an expansin
protein of 32 - 34 kDa.
Expansins are unusual proteins that mediate cell wall
extension in plants. They are also known as Group 1 grass
allergens, which are highly cross-reactive glycoproteins
exclusively expressed in the pollen of many grasses (2).
Cyn d 1 is a member of this group and 95% of patients
allergic to grass pollen are allergic to Group 1 grass
allergens (5). The frequency of sensitization to Cyn d 1 in
Bermuda grass-allergic individuals has been reported to
be between 76% and 100% (6, 7).

Clinical Experience
Bermuda grass is an important source of seasonal
aero-allergens in many areas of the world, especially in
tropical and subtropical climates. Bermuda grass pollen
is a potent inducer of asthma, allergic rhinitis and allergic
conjunctivitis (8-10).
Specific IgE tests for Bermuda grass demonstrate that
it is one of the most prevalent allergen among children
with allergic rhinitis (11). Bermuda grass pollen is also
significantly associated with sinusitis (8).

Cross-Reactivity
Bermuda grass is expected to be highly cross-reactive with
other species of the subfamily Chloridoideae e.g. Buffalo,
Windmill and Grama grasses (12-15).
Single recombinant Group 1 grass allergen contains
many of the IgE epitopes of group 1 isoallergens found
in a number of different grass species (16). Thus Group 1
grass pollen allergens are highly homologous, but not all
of the antigenic epitopes are cross-reactive (8).
Cyn d 1 is to some extent immunologically distinct
from Phl p 1 from timothy grass and is therefore a suitable
marker for sensitization to Bermuda grass.

References
10. Sompolinsky D, Samra Z, Zavaro A, Barishak Y.
Allergen-specific immunoglobulin E antibodies in tears
and serum of vernal conjunctivitis patients.
Int Arch Allergy Appl Immunol 1984;75(4):317-21
11. Esch RE, Klapper DG.
Cross-reactive and unique Group I antigenic
determinants defined by monoclonal antibodies.
J Allergy Clin Immunol 1987;78:489-95
12. Suphioglu C, Blaher B, Rolland JM, McCluskey J, Schappi G,
Kenrick J, Singh MB, Knox RB.
Molecular basis of IgE-recognition of Lol p 5, a major
allergen of rye- grass pollen.
Mol Immunol 1998; 35(5):293-305
13. Niederberger V, Laffer S, Froschl R, Kraft D, Rumpold H, et al.
IgE antibodies to recombinant pollen allergens (Phl p 1,
Phl p 2, Phl p 5, and Bet v 2) account for a high
percentage of grass pollen-specific IgE.
J Allergy Clin Immunol 1998;101(2 Pt 1):258-64
14. Smith PM, Xu H, Swoboda I, Singh MB.
Identification of a Ca2+ binding protein as a new
Bermuda grass pollen allergen Cyn d 7: IgE crossreactivity with oilseed rape pollen allergen Bra r 1.
Int Arch Allergy Immunol 1997;114(3):265-71
15. Suphioglu C, Ferreira F, Knox RB.
Molecular cloning and immunological characterisation
of Cyn d 7, a novel calcium-binding allergen from
Bermuda grass pollen.
FEBS Lett 1997;402(2-3):167-72
16. Laffer S, Valenta R, Vrtala S, Susani M, van Ree R, Kraft D,
Scheiner O, Duchene M.
Complementary DNA cloning of the major allergen
Phl p I from timothy grass (Phleum pratense);
recombinant Phl p I inhibits IgE binding to group I
allergens from eight different grass species.
J Allergy Clin Immunol 1994;94(4):689-98
For further reading, see: www.immunocapinvitrosight.com

Phadia AB. P O Box 6460, SE-751 37 Uppsala, Sweden

Tel +46 18 16 50 00. www.phadia.com

April 2009, November 2009

1. Kazemi-Shirazi L, Niederberger V, Linhart B, Lidholm J, Kraft D,

Valenta R.
Recombinant marker allergens: diagnostic gatekeepers
for the treatment of allergy.
Int Arch Allergy Immunol 2002;127(4):259-68
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Int Arch Allergy Immunol 2003;130:87-107
3. Everberg H, Thunberg R, Ahlberg M, Hgbom E, Movrare R.
Purification and characterization of the Bermuda grass
pollen major allergen, Cyn d1, for component resolved
diagnostics in ImmunoCAP.
(Poster) 2nd Int Symp Molecular Allergol, Rome, Italy
2007;April 22-24
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Curr Allergy Asthma Rep 2005 Sep;5(5):381-7
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Sub-proteome analysis of novel IgE-binding proteins
from Bermuda grass pollen.
Proteomics 2005 Sep;5(14):3805-13
7. Smith PM, Avjioglu A, Ward LR, Simpson RJ, Knox RB, Singh MB.
Isolation and characterization of group-I isoallergens
from Bermuda grass pollen.
Int Arch Allergy Immunol 1994;104(1):57-64
8. Weber RW.
Bermuda grass.
Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2002;88(3):A-6
9. Adler TR, Beall GN, Heiner DC, Sabharwal UK, Swanson K.
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challenge responses to Bermuda grass pollen extracts.
J Allergy Clin Immunol 1985;75(1 Pt 1):31-6